Meat from pigs infected with the new H1N1 virus shouldn’t be used for human consumption, the World Health Organisation cautioned on Wednesday.…[WHO] said it was possible for flu viruses to survive the freezing process and be present in thawed meat, as well as in blood…’Meat from sick pigs or pigs found dead should not be processed or used for human consumption under any circumstances,’ Jorgen Schlundt, director of WHO’s Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses and Foodborne Diseases.

But today, Reuters has a squib reporting that Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant director-general, as saying “Eating pork is not a danger in terms of getting this infection” at a news conference in Geneva. Is it not a danger because as far as we know, only some Canadian pigs have caught the virus from humans? Or because the pork industry is freaking out? WHO needs to get its message straight.

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3 Responsesto “WHO: Pork isn’t safe. Yes it is. No it’s not.”

This points out the whole problem of how too many experts in the kitchen spoil the broth… I wish they would make up their minds and get their facts straight before they start issuing press releases and such. So much confusion. :( Reminds me of so many other things where “experts” tell us N different things.

To the best of my understanding you can’t catch the virus by eating cooked pork because the cooking process will kill the virus.

That said, if the raw meat and blood is infected having the pork in your kitchen or in a factory provides many opportunities for the virus to spread. So, the meat should not be processed for eating and there not be eaten.